A dip on two Ruddy Shelducks but a good number of Year Ticks.
We left Segovia quite early and made a stop for some breakfast just to the south of Madrid and then stopped at a large wetland called Laguna del la Veguilla on the way south. I parked and scanned the pool and reedbeds and soon added Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) out on the water and in the reeds a couple of Penduline Tits (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus), Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and in the air lots of Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) including several impressive male birds.
We moved around to the opposite side of the lake where I checked the water infront of three hides and again picked up quite a few new species including Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), House (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Spanish Sparrows (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
We left the wetland and headed back to the motorway, on the way we had Bramblings (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla) sitting in a road side tree and a female Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis) which flew over the road in front of us.
We continued on home and as we entered Andalusia the sun came out and things warmed up nice and quickly.